Hundreds of Tilburg shopkeepers defy Sunday shopping ban

Some 225 shops in Tilburg defied a ban on Sunday shopping and opened for business as normal, Nos television said.

The shopkeepers will get a formal warning from the council for breaking Sunday shopping rules. If they open again next Sunday, they will be given a second warning, and then face fines.

Earlier this month, the company court ruled Tilburg does not have enough attractions to count as a tourist centre and city centre shops should therefore be restricted to 12 Sunday openings a year. The case was brought by some 150 small shopkeepers.

Meanwhile in Utrecht, city centre shops were open for the city’s first free choice Sunday opening, in addition to the regular 12 Sundays a year. The relaxation in local Sunday shopping laws by the city council came after a long campaign.

Under current laws, only shops in towns which are considered tourist centres are allowed to open every Sunday. New rules, which will allow local councils to decide whether or not to allow shopping seven days a week, are currently being handled in parliament.